With the continued evolution of the United States Development Academy program, MLS academies are changing the youth soccer system and increasing the overall level of play around the country. At the forefront of that effort is the revamped Crew SC Academy.
Columbus Crew SC has taken its Academy to the next level with new leadership, innovative training methods and cooperation with local soccer clubs.
Crew SC’s technical staff has a clear vision for the Academy as a program that utilizes three primary strengths: a close connection to the First Team, a rich regional pool of players, and a highly qualified staff dedicated to the Academy.
At the helm of the Academy staff are Director of Methodology Nico Estevez and Academy Director Michael Milazzo. The team also includes U-16 Head Coach Joaquin Gonzalez, U-14 Head Coach James Field, Scout and Assistant Coach Abdi Moallin, and Goalkeeper Coach Andy Brinkman. All of them bring years of experience working with youth and in professional academies in the U.S. as well as Spain.
What’s unique about the Academy staff is that it spends significant time with the club’s First Team under the direction of Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.
“Our aim is to extend the soccer philosophy of the club to the Crew SC Academy by aligning the First Team’s way of playing, its methods, high performance model, and player-first mentality with the Academy program,” Milazzo explains. “This association with the First Team will pay dividends for our Academy players who have professional ambitions and the quality to become future Black & Gold players.”
Under Berhalter’s leadership Crew SC has fostered a close connection between the Academy and the First Team to provide meaningful First Team opportunities for Academy players.
“The Academy staff attends training every morning for a firsthand view of the methods of training and, more importantly, experiencing the professional culture that has been created within the First Team,” Milazzo says.
To get accustomed to that professional culture, Academy players participate in First Team training sessions regularly.
“This is very common, for instance, when a number of First Team players are away on international duty and/or when the First Team staff needs additional quality players for a productive training session,” Milazzo says. “Academy players have also participated in First Team sessions when the non-rostered players are training prior to an MLS game or in reserve team games.”
Fortunately, Columbus is at the heart of one of the country’s top talent pools for elite youth soccer players. The Crew SC Academy can harness this resource and provide short experiences in the form of training centers as well as full-time residential options for players with professional potential. That’s an advantage over MLS markets with less available players or more competition.
“Our players compete against the best players in the state on a daily basis in training and against the best players in the country on their weekend games in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and Generation Adidas Cup,” Milazzo says.
Adding U-12 and U-13 age groups to the program in 2016 will improve the quality of play in the older groups over time, Milazzo says. To ensure the quality of play remains at the highest level, Crew SC continues developing relationships with youth soccer clubs in the area.
"We want to provide a clear pathway to the professional level, through our Academy, for the top players in the state of Ohio," Milazzo says. "And we want to work with the local clubs in this process through regular interaction, collaboration and access to the Columbus Crew Soccer Club."
That pathway is being paved by one of the best Academy staffs in the country. The addition of several new qualified coaches and administrators will continue to drive the quality of the Crew SC Academy. With years of qualified experience in professional environments, the Academy staff is dedicated to transforming Columbus’ soccer youth into the future of Crew SC.
